


undeserving of your sympathy

by akamine_chan



Series: Port Newark [2]
Category: Bandom, Mindless Self Indulgence, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-06
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-22 14:25:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/914263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akamine_chan/pseuds/akamine_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lindsey runs across the rooftops of the Port Newark, channeling her power <i>inward</i> and streamlining the biochemical processes at work in her body.  Fire is her element, but fire is energy and she's learned over the years how to exploit her power to the fullest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	undeserving of your sympathy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Andeincascade (Ande)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ande/gifts).



> Lightning and awesome beta by accrues (<3!), title from _Sleep_ by My Chemical Romance.
> 
> Written for my girl Ande's birthday! Happy birthday, baby. I hope it's the best day ever! I love you; you're such an inspiration to me in every way and my life would be incomplete without you!
> 
> I asked Argentumlupine if she was interested in recording this snippet as a podfic and she said yes. So, happy birthday from both of us! *twirls you*
> 
> Warning: one of the characters has suffered an injury that has permanently disabled them. Think Oracle from _Birds of Prey_. 
> 
> This 'verse started out as a femmeslash story for [audiofemme](http://audiofemme.dreamwidth.org/), a little Jamia/Lindsey story, but Ande asked for more, and I'll confess to having some ideas about the characters...

Lindsey runs across the rooftops of the Port Newark, channeling her power _inward_ and streamlining the biochemical processes at work in her body. Fire is her element, but fire is energy and she's learned over the years how to exploit her power to the fullest. 

She becomes stronger, faster, and Lindsey doesn't hesitate when she leaps over the gap between buildings. She soars for a moment, suspended, before gravity pulls her back down with a thump. She hits the ground running.

She'll pay for it later, of course. Nothing comes for free, and when Lindsey hits the wall of burnout, she'll hit it hard, body shutting down to recoup all the energy she's expended.

In the meantime, Lindsey pushes herself, the whistle of the wind filling her mind and chasing away the impossible thoughts that circle uselessly in her backbrain. She doesn't think about all the things she can't have, doesn't think about Shifter, doesn't think about guilt and regret and stolen kisses.

She sees the steeple of the church that she and Gerard call home and leaps at the old antenna at the edge of the roof, using her momentum to swing around the pole and down toward the ground. Her leather gloves protect her hands from the metal and she lands lightly on her booted feet, panting and starting to feel the tendrils of exhaustion curl through her body.

When Lindsey punches in the code for the door, her hands are shaking and she can barely push her way inside. She stumbles a little bit as she turns to engage the locks. "Gee?" her voice is weak and scratchy.

 _Kitchen,_ he says, his voice soft and full of love in her head.

She staggers into their brightly lit kitchen, grabbing the bottle of sports drink that Gerard is holding out, and starts drinking. He's in his favorite wheelchair, the one he and Ray had tinkered with until they were satisfied that it was tricked out as much as possible. They were dorks like that.

 _Pushing yourself again,_ Gerard says, the thought wrapped in layers of concern.

Lindsey shrugs and gulps down more of the sports drink. Her body needs the fluids and electrolytes. She doesn't have Gerard's ability of speaking mind-to-mind, but they've been together long enough that some of his power has rubbed off on her. _I was upset._

"Hmmmm," he says. "Keep drinking while I dig up some energy bars." He wheels himself over to the cabinets and starts digging through the boxes. Lindsay knows he can't see the grimace on her face, but he can feel her dislike of the sports drink. "I know it's nasty stuff, but you need to replace the fluids you burned off when you powered up."

She knows he's right, but that doesn't make it go down any easier. It's salty and sour-sweet and has a weird aftertaste. Gerard bought the blue kind, which is some kind of artificial berry flavor. 

He plucks the thought out of her head. "I think it's called Intense Wild Mountain Winterberry Splash." 

Lindsey almost chokes. "Really?"

Gerard grins. "No, not really. It's just Wild Berry. Like you said, some sort of artificial berry flavor."

"Brat."

She finishes off the last of the bottle and opens the energy bar that Gerard hands her, chewing and swallowing mechanically. She feels the exhaustion pulling at her, threatening to drag her under. Gerard rests his hand at the small of her back, pushing her toward the bedroom.

It's dimly lit, and their bed looks so inviting. Lindsey barely has the energy to pull off her clothes and drop them into an untidy pile on floor. "Pick 'em up in the morning," she mumbles.

"Shhhhhh." Gerard pulls aside the covers and waits for Lindsey to slide in before tucking the blankets around her. _Love you_. 

She can _feel_ his love wrap around her, surround her, and she lets herself sink back into it, safe and cherished. "Love you. too."

 _Sleep._ He presses a kiss to her forehead and it's the last thing she remembers as she falls into the darkness.

-fin-

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] undeserving of your sympathy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/914545) by [argentumlupine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumlupine/pseuds/argentumlupine)




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